


Innocent Children

by Demoiselle_Chicanerie



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Card Games, Chess, Confessions, Confusion, Eventual Romance, F/M, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Love, Misunderstandings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 18:22:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17872427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demoiselle_Chicanerie/pseuds/Demoiselle_Chicanerie
Summary: Marius is, as always, deeply in love with his bubbly young wife, Cosette. As they play a game of chess, Cosette makes a confession to him that will leave him breathless.A light-hearted, cheesy story I wrote on the notes app on my phone 😛





	Innocent Children

My favorite time of the day is dusk. I love the way that clouds, large and airy, spread about the violet sky. They're pink and yellow and orange and light and fluffy.

(Rather like the dress my perfect angel Cosette is wearing. How well it becomes her!)

We are sitting in front of the fire, playing chess. (She always beats me, but never mind that. It is wonderful just to be in her presence, watching her long, shiny lashes flutter as she thoughtfully scans the board, her delicate white hand raised to her mouth as she plots a move. She's simply beautiful.) We are in the delightful habit of playing games every evening, after I've finished with all my clients. I'm always quite tired but she is filled with energy, and her lilting voice and warm smiles perk me up a little, too. (Sometimes my grandfather joins in whatever we happen to be playing. I don't like that. He talks to Cosette the whole time, so I can't get a word in edgewise, and he always beats me. At everything. In his case, unlike with Cosette, it is most bothersome.)

But I digress. Let us return to Cosette. The brilliant girl has just beaten me with an elaborate Sheperd's Mate that leaves my mouth hanging open. She's so intelligent, my sweetest powder puff.

But something is wrong. She isn't giggling gleefully the way she does whenever she wins. In fact, she seems downcast.

I am determined to cheer her up a little.  
"My dearest darlingest pumpkin, whatever is the matter? You seem unhappy. Tell me what it is, dearest."

She doesn't even smile at my ridiculous pet names, the way she usually does. Something is most definitely amiss.

Cosette heaves a deep sigh.

"The truth is, Marius..." she trails off and casts a wary glance at the door. "I do have something to tell you. I've been meaning to, but I couldn't bring myself to for some time. Um, ah, for weeks now, in fact." Her gaze drops to her little pink fingernails.

She doesn't want to meet my eye. Now I'm truly worried.

I smile encouragingly (but I know it came out looking awkward, as my smiles tend to do.) "Tell me, my sweet," I urge. "I want to hear what it is that troubles you so."

She swallows a lump in her throat and begins to wring her hands in a manner most painful to watch. "Well, ah, the truth is..."

"Go on, my little lily flower."

"I... ah... I..." her eyes begin to glisten with the beginning of tears. "I've been cheating on you."

At first I don't understand what she's said. My ears don't want to hear, my mind won't comprehend.

"W...would you repeat that, dearest, please?"

Tears begin to slide down her flawless cheeks. "I... I've been cheating on you."

The meaning of her words slowly creeps up on me like a rain cloud, heavy and dark. I am dumbfounded into silence. My thoughts, my feelings are amalgamated. I don't know what to do, how to react, so I just stutter, "but... but dearest..."

She lets out a sob. "I know darling. I am sorry. I never wished to hurt you. My dearest Marius, you will forgive me...? I know you don't deserve this, but I couldn't help it...!"

Now I am beginning to be angry. "But Cosette! What about... what we said, what we promised each other? What do you _mean_ , "you couldn't help it"?"

Cosette still won't meet my eye. "I'm sorry, Marius, I told you! I didn't mean to do it, but how could I not?" She grabs a handful of my business cards off the mantelpiece. "You always hold your cards like this!" She twists her hand into an exaggerated position, holding them so as to make the golden lettering on them clearly visible. "As if you want everyone to see them!"

She lets the cards drop to the floor and sighs again. "Once more, I am sorry for cheating on you, Marius. I'll try not to do it again."

Yet again, I am absolutely dumbfounded. Did I... did I hear that right?

"You meant... you cheated... in _rummy_?"

With the back of her spotless hand she wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "Yes. Can you ever forgive me?"

The clouds above my heart begin to clear. Wild joy pounds a restless anthem through my heart. She broke no vows! I am hers and she is mine, pure and innocent, just as it was meant to be. The very thought of her endearing naïveté makes me want to jump up and hug her. I act accordingly. "I _most_ _assuredly_ forgive you, my flawless little gumdrop!" I gasp. "Truly I feared it was something more serious than rummy, dearest. 'Twas but a misunderstanding that angered me, and now it is past. Never frighten me like that again!"

"Oh! Thank you! I shan't!" She hugs me back. How slender and warm and perfect she is. Her hair smells of peonies and gardenias.

The door bursts open. It is my grandfather. "Oh you little innocent pup!" He tells Cosette. "Give an old man a kiss."

"No," I say a little louder than I intend to, then blush as Cosette looks at me quizzically. "What I mean is, she's mine. She'll always be mine."

Then she gives me a honey-flavored kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for trying this fic!! I chose to write it from Marius' point of view so I could self-indulgenttly make it as corny and bombastic as I wanted. I'm truly sorry if you found this eye-roll worthy. (I do too, in fact, but I posted it here just in case somebody enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it 😊😉)  
> If you are that someone, please leave a comment! Kind words make my day.


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